Long Drives To Clear Your Head

[The Nature Boy]

I know we're all road geeks and generally enjoying roads and driving in general but how many people just like to drive around to clear their head or for pleasure.

When I'm stressed, I'll sometimes get in the car, turn the radio up and drive. I'll sometimes even use it as an excuse for road geeking.

[signalman]

I used to do this often.  But around here, I've noticed a sharp decline in the quality of drivers over the last few years.  I'm attributing this to all the electronic distractions that are now in cars to some degree.  In any case, it's no longer pleasurable to go for a drive in order to alleviate stress.  It instead adds to my stress level.  In more rural areas, I find it to be relaxing and enjoyable.  However, I live in the NYC suburbs and as a result, I try to get out of town very early in order to beat the bulk of traffic.  I had a day of roadgeeking planned for today in central Pennsylvania.  Unfortunately, it's supposed to rain all day here and in PA, so I opted to stay home instead.  Had today gone as originally planned, I would not be typing this right now.

[Roadrunner75]

I used to do this a lot when I was single at least.  Even back as far as high school if I had a bad day I would get in the car and crank the tunes and drive around.  Always liked to just drive around aimlessly, especially when gas was a lot cheaper.  I think my biggest 'had a bad week' unplanned excursion in my mid-20s was getting up one Saturday morning, hopping in the car (South Jersey) and ending up in Rhode Island.  I sat on the beach for awhile in Narragansett, hopped back in the car and drove all the way home that day.  Good ride, and I saw a lot of new stuff.  The rides are now even longer, but there's a lot more planning.

[Duke87]

After one of my exes broke up with me, the following weekend I had clinched every state highway on Long Island.

My long drives are almost always clinchathons because the video gamer in me just eats that sort of thing up. It's the same as unlocking achievements. That gives me a sense of accomplishment and makes me feel a lot better than just driving any old where does.

[corco]

In fact, I just went on one of these today. Clinched just about all the unpaved state highways in SW Montana (and finished clinching the two non-panhandle highways I had left in Idaho), almost hit a moose, just enjoyed driving down some dirt roads with the window down. It was a nice day.

For me, that sort of driving is a form of...almost meditation. I always come back feeling relaxed, uplifted, and content.

[Duke87]

enjoyed driving down some dirt roads

When you say dirt do you literally mean dirt or are these roads paved with gravel?

Either way it's an interesting thing to enjoy. For me, getting away and having a pleasant drive requires smooth pavement. If I want a bumpy ride I can just drive around New York City.

[Alps]

One time long ago I was in a bad spot. I was in Boston. Drove randomly around and headed due north, stopped somewhere up around the NH line and called a friend in Texas. Then drove randomly some more until I got back. In general, though, if I need to clear my head, it's out of a bottle. I need to be clear-headed to start with if I'm going to drive with any purpose in mind.

[corco]

enjoyed driving down some dirt roads

When you say dirt do you literally mean dirt or are these roads paved with gravel?

Either way it's an interesting thing to enjoy. For me, getting away and having a pleasant drive requires smooth pavement. If I want a bumpy ride I can just drive around New York City.

Literally dirt, such as esto:


I actually prefer packed dirt to gravel. Gravel is loud and if there's too much of it, traction isn't all that great. Maintained dirt roads, yeah, have occasional washboarding, but for the most part, if you are constantly looking at where to put your tires, are quieter and easier to handle on (but also less predictable, which I think is why people prefer gravel).

That could be a product of upbringing though- there really aren't that many gravel roads out here, definitely not like the ones back east. County road budgets out here are stretched really thin as-is due to the low population density- most roads are lucky to get a grader down them once a year with the material that is already on the road. Only the most important of the most important get new material. The road pictured above is a pretty darned good road.

[DandyDan]

I work the overnight shift and when I was still fairly new at my job, if I was pissed off about work, I'd go on a long drive.  However, like I said, it was the night shift and one time, at what must have been 4 or 5 in the morning, I got caught speeding on Highway 50 going south from Louisville, NE and I told the cop I worked nights and was pissed off about work and it turned into the inquisition.  Eventually, all I got was the speeding ticket, but that was the end of aimless after-work driving, at least when I went off the interstate.  I would then drive down to Lincoln, but that got repetitive fast.  Nowadays, 95% of the time, I go straight home, especially since no one ever wants to go out to eat after work anymore, or at least I don't get invited to that type of thing.

[Laura]

I used to do this sort of thing, but I really haven't been able to for a while. The main problem is that at some point, one has to turn around and go home, and that part pretty much cancelled out any benefit of the initial trip. For the longest time, my least favorite route to travel was I-70 from Frederick to Baltimore because it meant that I was "going home".

I think next time I will have to try Anthony and Corco's strategy of clinching routes while in those kinds of moods. Perhaps reframing it with a goal to accomplish will eliminate that dreadful going home feeling, because then I would be going home with a new accomplishment unlocked.

[US71]

I don't do it as often as I used to. Mostly time, money, and not being able to sleep in a Wal-Mart parking lot anymore due to my CPAP.

[Pete from Boston]

I used to do this a lot when I was single at least.

It's very easy when you're single to go out for breakfast and come home late at night with no plan.  It works less well with someone who wants to know when you expect to be home.

That said, my number of trips with a point went way up when the aimless ones went down.

[wphiii]

At least once a month I try to have a serious drive, largely on roads I haven't previously been on, while avoiding limited-access highways as much as possible. It's not necessarily "aimless," per se - I'll usually have some kind of goal in mind, whether it's driving to go on a hike somewhere or checking out a city or town I haven't been to, or just a new alternate route from a Point A to a Point B that I already travel between often. These little rambles definitely help keep me sane.

[GCrites]

Nah, I drive a lot now anyway. If I want to do something like that I'll get on my motorcycle. In order for me to see new territory I have to go a long way and I just don't have time for it.